Water evaporator



United States Patent Otlice ,j 2,716,446 Patented A143939. 19.55

2,716,446 WATER EVAPQRAIQR Willard J. Ross, Harbor City, Calif,Application February 8, 195,2, Serial No. 270,567 2. (CL .159mg Thisinvention relates to a water evaporator which can be used to evaporatesea water for irrigation purposes and the like.

My invention is directed primarily to a simple and economical means ofpartially evacuating a chamber or evaporator, thereby reducing theboiling temperature of the iluid in the evaporator. More particularly, lprovide a simple and economical method of evacuating a chamber byeliminating the usual type of vacuum pumps and other similar devices.

A feature of my invtntion is the provision of a pair of vacuum cylindersof large volume, these cylinders containing heavy oil or other uid, thefluid in one cylinder being permitted to flow outwardly while iluid issimultaneously being pumped into the other cylinder.

Another object of my invention is to provide a means whereby asubstantial vacuum can be maintained in a chamber by means of the riseand fall of a heavy oil or other liquid in a number of cylinders, eachof the cylinders being connected to the evaporator by suitable pipes.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from theaccompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and theappended claims.

In the drawing:

The figure in the drawing is a schematic side elevation of a waterevaporator embodying my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates atidal basin, or evaporator, which is a large container including anintake pipe 2, through which water ows into the container and an outletpipe 3 from which water flows as the tide rises and falls. The pipe 3becomes the outlet when the tide falls below the entrance point of thepipe 2 in the basin 1. The low tide line is indicated at 4, while thehigh tide line is indicated at 5. A vapor outlet pipe 6 extends from thetop of the evaporator 1, and thence into a condenser 7. The condensermay be provided with a plurality of pipes 8, through which water iscirculated. The cooling water is pumped through the pipes 8 by acirculating pump 9, which forces water into the condenser through thepipe 10, and water flows out of the condenser after passing through thetube 8 through the pipe 11. The condensed water ows out of the condenserthrough the pipe 12, and is collected in a suitable tank 13.

As thus far described, the apparatus is old and well known in the art.However, to provide an economical apparatus, the evaporator 1 should bemaintained at a reduced atmospheric pressure, that is, under a partialvacuum. To accomplish this simply and inexpensively I provide thefollowing structure:

A pair of vacuum cylinders 14 and 15 are mounted vertically, and each ofthese cylinders is of very large diameter and of very substantialheight, so that the tluid therein will drop over a considerabledistance, as will be further described.

A reservoir 16 contains a quantity of heavy oil, or other heavy liquid,and this liquid is picked up by the pump 17 and may 'be'foreed intoeither .cylinder .14 .0r 115 through the `intake pipes. 13 .and 19.Quick acting, valves 21 are provided in 'the pipes 18 and 19respectively. and by mening one and 'closing the .other ef these'yalves;fluid can be pumped into eitherrof .the cvlnderslst 017:15, While theother .cylinder iS beine. sirainedcf its fluid. Outlet pines 1 2. and12? are provided `is -thesfyliuders 1 6 and. .15k respectivement@ .theseelitist Pipes fused. the reservoir 16 far the autres; af returninghellem @il bask ,te the,

f A vacuum central 113.124.115 segmented to the were ,rater 1 ,and iSequated by .the ameuntof Vessem minf tained inthe evaporatnr, The vacuum-santrslleluait 14 ,in 'turncommls valves 25 and 76 is the ,Pines 2.2and 23 respectively, that is, the valve 25 is open while the valve 26 isclosed, and vice versa.

A pipe 27 extends from the top of the cylinders 14 and 15 and extendsinto the top of the evaporator 1. A check valve 28 and 29 is provided ineach of the cylinders 14 and 15 respectively for the purpose ofr closingthe pipe 27 to a cylinder whenever there is pressure in said cylinders,and opening the pipe 27 to a cylinder whenever there is a vacuum beingproduced in said cylinders.

Relief valves 30 and 31 are provided in the cylinders 14 and 15respectively to permit escape of air when uid rises in the cylinder andto close when the uid falls in the cylinder.

In operation:

Assuming that the valve 25 is open, the oil or other liuid in thecylinder 14 will start to drain into the reservoir 16. As the lluidcolumn falls in the cylinder 14 a partial vacuum will be drawn therein,that is, water vapor will be removed from the top of the evaporator 1,

thus drawing a partial vacuum in the evaporator. The

check valve 28 is now open and the valve 30 is closed. At the same timethe pump 17 will be forcing oil into the bottom of the cylinder 15through the pipe 18, since the valve 20 is open and the valve 21 isclosed.

The rising column of oil in the cylinder 15 will cause the check valve29 to close and the valve 31 can open to prevent water vapor pressure inthe cylinder. After the volumn of oil has dropped to the bottom of thecylinder 14, and when the vapor pressure in the evaporator 1 rises, thevacuum control 24 will close the valve 25 and open the valve 26,whereupon the column of oil in the cylinder 15 will drop and oil will bepumped into the cylinder 14 by the pump 17 in the same manner aspreviously described,

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A distilling machine comprising an inclosed basin, a pair ofvertically arranged cylinders, a pipe extending from each of saidcylinders into the top of said basin, a check valve in each of thepipes, a relief valve in each of the cylinders, a reservoir, an outletpipe extending from each of said cylinders into the reservoir, valvemeans in each of said outlet pipes, a pump, a branch pipe and furthervalve means in each branch connecting said pump to both of saidcylinders to force liuid alternately into said cylinders, a vacuumcontrol unit operable each time the pressure'in the basin reaches apredetermined amount, a pressure pipe extending from the vacuum controlunit to said basin to transmit the pressure in the basin to said controlunit, and means operatively connecting the vacuum control unit to eachof said valve means whereby one of the lirst mentioned valve meanscontrolling llow from one of the cylinders into the reservoir and one ofthe further valve means controlling ilow into the other of the cylindersvia the pump are simultaneously opened while the remaining valve meansare simultaneously closed, and successively alternating they remainingwith the previously recited valve means at a predetermined pressure insaid basin.

2. A distilling machine comprising an inclosed basin, a pair ofvertically arranged cylinders, a pipe connected to each of the cylindersand extending into the top of the basin, a check valve in said pipe atits oulet into each of said cylinders, said check valves closing whenpressure-*occurs in the cylinders, a relief Valve in each of thecylinders, a reservoir,`an outlet pipe extending from the bottom of eachof the cylinders into the reservoir, valve means in each of the outletpipes, a pump, a branched pipe extending from said pump into each of thecylinders, a valve in each branch of said last named pipe respectivelyadjacent each of the cylinders whereby uid is directed into one or theother of the cylinders, said valve means being alternately opened toalternately drain uid from the two cylinders, a vacuum control unit, apipe extending from the vacuum control unit and into said basin totransmit the pressure 'inthe basin to the control unit, and operatingmeans extending from the valve control unit to each of said Valve meansand valves to alternately open and close said valve means, and valveswhereby one of the irst mentioned valve means controlling ow from one ofthe cylinders into the reservoir and one of the valves controlling owinto the other of the cylinders via the pump are simultaneously openedwhile the remaining valve means and valve are simultaneously closed, andsuccessively alternating the remaining with the previously recited valvemeans and valve at a predetermined pressure in said basin.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

